ALENAI monotonously browsed through the magazine I was holding as I was buried in a fluffy bean bag.How did I get to be so unlucky?I had a die-hard-for billionaire for a husband who I was currently on our honeymoon with yet it seemed like it was just some ordinary boring period with me, myself, and I.I tossed the magazine away after I came across an article about babies and motherhood stuff. It was like a hard slap in the face. My husband didn't even want to look at me or touch me.How on earth would I ever get that joy of motherhood that I yearned for when I was trapped in this loveless marriage for one gruesomely painful year?I lazily got up and slipped into my fluffy slippers. I dragged myself to the window and looked outside and the sight just made my heart sink way much more.Ibiza, Spain.That one island which was part of my dream destinations. It was the perfect honeymoon destination but only for true lovers not arranged couples like Dylan and I.We had settled into our vi
ALENATears welled up in my eyes, begging for mercy, but he didn't seem to care as he hurtled toward me.So Prince Charming had a beast side that he was going to unleash any moment from now. The thought itself made my heart a jackhammer.Once again fear found me. It spoke to me in its cackling voice, commanding my legs to go weak and my stomach to lurch.My back finally hit the wall and I was trapped. Dylan took one step leaving a small distance between us. I couldn't look at his eyes anymore so I dropped my teary eyes to the floor."L-let me go," I stuttered trying to blink away my tears."I am not even touching you, Princess," he growled. "What do you want from me?"I whispered, closing my eyes.I felt his breath fanning my ear as he moved closer. I could literally feel the heat of his body on my face. I also couldn't miss the fact that he smelt crazy good."I want to give you what you want. You want my love and affection right? You want me to perform my duties as a husband right an
ALENAI woke up to a stinging and burning sensation in my eyes. I sat up and rubbed my eyes which reminded me of the not-so-pleasant incidents of the previous day.They still hurt from my possibly over-exaggerated crying. After thinking about it over the night, I concluded that I had acted immature.I yawned softly and slipped out of my blankets. The bed was crazy comfortable and I could sleep for the rest of the day but I needed some sunshine.I stood up and was about to go to the bathroom when I saw him. Dylan Cameron. My husband.He was sleeping on the couch with his blanket on the floor. It must have fallen overnight. It made me feel guilty that he was sleeping on a couch that wasn't that comfortable to sleep on and I had a huge bed all to myself.I quietly walked over to him. Luckily, the floor was carpeted. I just didn't want to wake him up. I picked up the fluffy blanket and I just found myself holding it up to my nose.Gracious heavens. Maybe it was me but it smelt like him an
ALENAI opened my suitcase then took out some stuff I would need and I put it in my beach bag. I then went to the kitchen and picked out some fruits and put them in a picnic basket. I made some sandwiches, kebabs, and a smoothie, then I packed them.I also packed some yogurts, fruit juices, and potato chips. I would have fun on my own like usual.We had another bathroom so I changed out of the dress I had worn to impress Dylan but failed miserably at it and wore white high-waist shorts, a turquoise blue bikini top, and a visor.I slung my beach bag onto my shoulder, carried my picnic basket then slid on my headphones.I had a map guiding me to the beach and it was pretty much efficient and easy to use. It took me roughly twenty minutes to get to the beach.It was private and I loved it. I loved having some me time and enjoying my own personal space without anyone judging me.I spread my picnic blanket on the white sand away from the water and put down all my stuff. I applied sunscreen
DYLAN"I loved the dress you wore in the morning and the outfit you are currently wearing shows off your body. It's fiercely sexy," I honestly told her and her reaction was priceless.Her jaw was left hanging open and those gorgeous eyes of hers blinked with pure awe and amusement. I kinda liked this eye contact thing with her.For real she looked drop-dead gorgeous. I had no idea if she had worn the sky-blue dress in the morning to impress me or not. Either way, I was impressed.Even her current outfit was on fire. Whoever she'd end up falling in love with would be damn lucky."Very funny indeed. You always want to tease me, Dylan Cameron," she pouted.There was something about the way she said my name that I liked. Something I couldn't understand just like how I didn't even understand how I wanted to treat her and how close I wanted us to get."You always think I'm joking yet I'm serious.""Blah blah blah. It's getting late. We should get going," she cut the long story shot then sta
DYLAN"I still don't trust myself so please don't tempt me," she declined then I nodded and put the bottle away from her.Weird for a Weston, compared to how heavyweight both of her siblings were and the fact that they owned a legacy in that field."Juice then? Apple? Carrot? Orange? Pomegranate?""Definitely not carrot juice. I have a horrible history with it. Pomegranate will do," she replied and I served her some from the fridge.Watching her eat was something I'd do the whole day because she just had this unique aspect that made everything about her amusing. I realized that she stopped eating and her cheeks were heated up."Will you quit staring at me? I can't swallow anything with you watching me like that.""Why are you shy?" I just found myself asking her."I'm not shy," she replied, fidgeting with her fork avoiding any eye contact."You can't even take one compliment.""I can," she argued, shooting her gaze at me. She was definitely the feisty type."Oh really? God, you are on
DYLANI wasn't going to ask her about it yet. I needed to study her and analyze if she was depressed. Maybe the pills weren't hers after all."Wow. It looks really beautiful outside. Do you wanna star gaze?" she interrupted me.I had to make a decision. We had to either do this now or never. I was bipolar with her, something I couldn't control, and only heaven knew what my mood would be in the next few moments.I also didn't want to ruin her current mood. Her eyes looked bright and she looked at peace. I was afraid to ruin the tiny thread we had made in our relationship.Maybe we could save this conversation for later."Sure. Let's star gaze," I agreed and she smiled excitedly then got up.I followed suit and we cleared the plates then went out and lay on our backs on the sand admiring the sky.It was a beautiful night and the crashing of sea waves was like background music.Looking at the stars made me feel connected to my mom. Before she passed away, she told me that whenever I look
DYLANI slowly opened my eyes after one comfortable and peaceful night. I was warm and felt relaxed.I looked at the clock hung on the wall and realized it was just five in the morning and it was still dawn outside.I realized I was on the bed and it dawned on me that I was sharing the bed with Alena.I turned to look at her and realized she was still sleeping on the far end of the bed but now facing me.She looked peaceful in her sleep and I got a chance to look at her without having to cause her to feel uncomfortable.She truly was a Sleeping Beauty. Even in her sleep, she looked impeccably beautiful and innocence was flowing from every feature of hers.Calling her Princess was something I was getting used to. It just rolled from my tongue naturally. If only we had met in better circumstances then maybe I wouldn't be feeling all the painful guilt in my heart.I felt guilty for hurting her yet at the same time I wanted to do everything in my power to keep her away from me. She had th
ALENA’S EPILOGUE Our black SUV pulled up in Mom's driveway a little late in the afternoon and we all got out of the car. Amelia was snuggled in her daddy's arms, a place I knew was one of her favourites in the whole world and the way he paid enough attention to her and kept her smiling just made their bond stronger.Aidan and Iris were on either of my sides each holding each of my hands tightly as we walked up the driveway to the main entrance. We had all been looking forward to this family gathering for some time now. Spending time together, catching up on each other's lives and just being there for each other was something we all enjoyed. We were a family and meeting up together like this was always a pleasure."Thank you so much, Mommy, for buying me these pretty sparkly shoes and sparkly dress," Iris squealed excitedly, jumping up and down on her feet as we walked, staring admirably at her new outfit. "I feel like a princess," she added, giving me a brilliant smile that revealed
FIVE YEARS LATERDYLAN’S EPILOGUEThey say that you will never truly understand something until it happens to you.I honestly never paid much attention to this saying until realistic things happening in my own life started weighing much on it and opening my eyes to how everything I was once told about this big mystery called life started unfolding before my own eyes and manifesting in my life.Many a time, Dad would tell me about how marriage and fatherhood changed his life greatly for the better and it barely made any meaningful sense to me, but right now in this very moment, bonding with my baby and showering her with unconditional love made it all make perfect sense.There was something inexplicably intoxicating about seeing our precious bundle of joy happy with a radiant smile on her face. That smile had to be the prettiest thing I had ever seen, for it extended deep into my soul and filled me with joy. I couldn't resist smiling back at her with an even brighter smile, placing the
ALENADylan twirled me around, dipping me as he leaned forward closer to me. Staring at the masterpiece of a husband before me, my breathing became shallow and my heart felt heavy in my chest.Dylan pulled me back up into his arms and I rested my head on his chest and let him sway my body as the chorus rolled in. The song twirled like thread around us, the rhythm of our bodies simply passionate and majestic. I was deep in love."Alena, you're the inspiration for this precious song, and I just wanna see your face light up since you put me on. So now I say goodbye to the old me, it's already gone. And I can't wait to get you home, just to let you know, you are...""The love of my life," we whispered together in unison as I joined him in saying some of the lyrics along to the song playing.I was crying. He was way too sweet. I never imagined he'd be able to love me this much and take our relationship to a whole new level.Couples eventually started joining us on the dancefloor. I looked
ALENADylan pulled me towards him gently but firmly by my waist and he placed his lips firmly on mine, cupping my cheek with his hand.His lips were soft, almost silken against my own. Our lips fitted perfectly as if they were meant for each other. Moving against each other, feeling each other.Warmth blossomed in my chest, sparks igniting. This was beautiful and magical, a dream come true. When we pulled away from each other, the crowd was cheering loudly for us, clapping and everything.We both chuckled, holding hands tightly. We turned and faced everyone. Their cheers grew even louder and more enthusiastic.I could see Mom sitting in front with Benjamin, Steve and Celeste. Ezra was in front on the other side with Axel, Sophie and Elizabeth. Everyone else followed behind them. They all looked happy for us.Dylan and I stepped down from the wedding altar and we proceeded down the aisle. Everyone rose and started throwing confetti at us as we walked out. It was perfect.I looked up at
ALENA"Of course, I will. When can we start making the preparations?"Dylan laughed, pinching my nose. "Silly, I mean today. Everything is already set. You just have to get ready and walk down the aisle.""You're kidding right?""I'm dead serious, honey. Everything's the way you wanted it and mostly your choice. I know this isn't our first wedding, but I want us to consider this our actual wedding because the previous wasn't even one. This time around, I'm marrying you willingly with pride."I laughed, failing to believe this. "How? I can't believe this.""Believe it, baby. We're getting married and this time around the proper way. I've been so excited to finally take you as my wife the proper way and give you the joy you deserve. I want to marry you, Alena.""Dylan, how did you even think of this? Just how?" I asked him, blinking away my tears.He wiped away my tears with his hands. "Because I want to see you happy and make your dreams come true. It's called love, honey. You've drown
ALENADylan opened the door of his car on my side and I stepped out, taking his hand which he had extended politely towards me to help me out. I murmured a polite thank you with a smile on my face as he helped out and closed the door once I was standing next to him.We linked arms and he gave me a small peck on my forehead before we started walking down the pathway that led to the dock of a beautiful lake.There were bright heart shaped lanterns hanging on tree branches and rose petals artistically scattered on the pathway we were walking on. Star shaped twinkle lights were wound around branches and lining the pathway. It was breathtakingly beautiful.It was a beautiful sunset and it felt extraordinarily magical with the water in the lake glimmering beneath the beautiful sky, looking calm and inviting.I had no idea if it was the beautiful weather and scene that added the special magical effect or if it was the exceptional man right next to me, holding me like his entire life depended
DYLANI loved it when she played dirty. I loved seeing that side of her that only I knew. I loved this state where she was raw, untamed and fierce sexy."Naughty girl," I chuckled, smacking her butt firmly. She winced, her lips cracking into a wider smile."If I am naughty, what are you?" she purred, pressing her body firmly into mine. She bit her bottom lip tenderly, looking at me with lust filled eyes."Your sexy husband who loves bringing the naughtiness out of you." I smacked Alena's butt one more time, pressing her body into mine at the same time."Ah," she moaned, throwing her head back. She loved it.I took my spoon and scooped some ice cream onto it. I trailed the spoon from her earlobe down to her throat. She shivered, looking at my hand. "Cold," she breathed."I'll set you on fire," I promised and with those words, I smashed my lips onto her neck, earning a loud moan from her.I held her firmly close to me by her butt as I attacked her neck with deep kisses, soft nibbles and
DYLANShe took her wine glass from me and looked up at me, taking a step closer. "Careful what you wish for, Princess. I want to, I can and I will eat you," I said, closing the small gap between us."Is that a promise?" she asked me, running her finger slowly down my torso. I had been working out a lot to get back in shape. All my hard work hadn't gone to waste."It is," I affirmed, brushing my lips against her smooth skin. "And you know I never break my promises."Alena stood on her toes and she pecked my lips. She held both of our glasses, looking deep into my eyes with her bottom lip between her white teeth. I poured the wine and took my glass from her."What are we toasting to?" she asked me."To us. To our lives, love, freedom and everything we ever wanted that we can proudly say we achieved.""Cheers to that," she said, raising her glass."Cheers." We clicked our glasses and washed down the red wine together in one go. We had a second round and we drank the wine in the same mann
DYLAN"No," she mumbled quietly. She was crying."Show me your face. I want to look at you," I spoke softly."Do I have to?" she replied quietly. She sounded cute and in my head, I could see a cute pout on her lips as she said so. That made me smile."Yes. You have to," I murmured, kissing her temples. Alena slowly pulled away from me and she sat up, facing me. She had tears in her eyes and a few had fallen down her cheeks. I wiped them away using my thumbs."And why is my beautiful princess crying when we're supposed to be celebrating?" I asked her, taking both of her warm hands into mine. I planted sweet kisses on both of them and looked up at her. "I don't know," she mumbled, looking at our hands. "Tears of relief if there's anything of that sort I guess.""You don't have to hide your feelings from me, you know. It's okay to cry if you feel like it. We all express joy and relief in different ways.""Does that mean I can bawl my eyes out and you'll still be okay with it?""Hmmm...